Do you remember being a little kid and having those two-bite cupcakes just so you could lick off the buttercream frosting? That was totally me as a kid. I bought some of those the other day, and they are still delicious and nostalgic. But, they have all these added flavours and ingredient to preserve it. That day was what motivated this amateur to make my own homemade frosting. And let me tell you, it is just as good, if not better.
Vanilla buttercream frosting is a staple in any baker's recipe books. Buttercream frosting goes great on anything. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies you name it.
This is my go to recipe for vanilla buttercream frosting. It is soft, fluffy, buttery, not too sweet and is stable enough to be frosted on cupcakes or cakes. It also doesn't become runny when adding liquid food coloring.
This recipe is so simple and you're gonna be using it all the time. Trust me.
Let's get right in.
1. Leave your butter out for about 1 hour to bring it to room temperature.
You need room temperature butter for frosting. If you live in a warm climate you might only need to leave it out for 15 minutes. But, if your live in a cold climate like me (i'm from Canada eh!), you need between 1-2 hours.
2. Sift your powdered sugar.
Powdered sugar is known as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. It's all the same thing. Whatever you call it, make sure you sift it. Powdered sugar gets really clumpy and harder to combine with your butter if you don't sift it. I've made icing without sifting before and while it does come together in the end, you're going to be mixing for a while to go from a grainy, clumpy consistency to a smooth and fluffy one.
3. Cream the butter.
You need to cream the butter well until it's about double in size and looks kind of pale. If it doesn't turn kind of white in color, your buttercream is going to look kind of yellow. It will still taste great, but if you want that aesthetically beautiful white butter cream, then you need to cream your butter for a while, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Add the powdered sugar to the butter slowly.
If you don't do this slowly, there will be sugar everywhere. One trick I use is I add about half a cup of icing sugar at a time. And before I turn on that mixer, I incorporate the sugar and butter with a spoon at first (just a little) and then I mix it together using a hand mixer.
5. Add the vanilla.
Vanilla always brings out this really great flavour in buttercream frosting. But if you prefer a different flavour, by all means, add it. This is a totally customizable recipe.
6. Optional: Add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk...
If you find your icing is too thick you can add some cream or milk as you see fit. But, if you know that you want to colour your icing with liquid food coloring, add the food coloring. There shouldn't be too much of a change in consistency, but some people tell me that their frosting is perfect after this. So add either heavy cream or coloring as you see fit.
Recipe
Prep Time: 10 mins
Servings: 3 cups
Ingredients
1 cup (230 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups (360 grams) icing or confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream or milk
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand held mixer, cream the butter on medium speed until you achieve a smooth and pale consistency. Your butter should also nearly double in size.
Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix on low until well combined.
Slowly add in the heavy cream, and increase the speed to medium-high.
Mix until the frosting is smooth and well combined.
Add your desired food colouring or flavourings.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Let me know if you tried it. Feel free to leave a comment or ask any questions.
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